CINCINNATI, OHIO – The University of Connecticut baseball team used three home runs to earn a 7-2 victory over conference rival Cincinnati on Saturday afternoon at Marge Schott Stadium. With the victory, UConn improves to 16-17 (3-4 The American) in 2014, while Cincinnati drops to 14-18 (3-8 The American).

Sophomore 2B Vinny Siena (Woodbridge, Conn.) cracked the Huskies’ first round-tripper of the afternoon in the top of the second inning. For Siena, it was his second homer of the season and first extra-base hit since March 11. Junior OF Blake Davey (Newport Beach, Calif.) collected his team-leading sixth homer of the year in the victory, while freshman OF Griffin Garabedian (Hamden, Conn.) launched a two-run blast to pick up his first collegiate home run.

Jordan Tabakman (Pompton Plains, N.J.) got the start for the Huskies and was excellent, tossing seven innings of one-run ball with five hits, one walk and a strikeout. Ryan Atkinson started for the Bearcats and last 2.2 innings, surrendering four runs on five hits with two walks and a strikeout.

UConn jumped on the board in the second innings, using a pair of home runs to take a 4-0 lead. After a Bobby Melley (Barnstable, Mass.) single, Siena went deep to right field for his second long ball of the year. Later in the inning, Garabedian followed suit with a two-run home run of his own, the first round-tripper of the freshman’s career.

Tabakman (3-1) cruised through the early innings, with UC scoring its first run on a double play ball in the fifth inning. Davey gave the Huskies some insurance in the top of the eighth, when he hit a solo home run to stretch the Connecticut lead back to four.

UConn picked up two more runs in the frame, loading the bases before McDowell picked up an RBI single and Nico Darras (Laguna Beach, Calif.) drove in another run with a groundout.

Max Slade (Cheshire, Conn.) entered for Tabakman in the eighth inning, tossing a scoreless frame. The Bearcats crept closer with a run in the ninth but were unable to complete the rally as the Huskies closed out the 7-2 victory.

The Huskies and Bearcats will play the final game of the three-game set tomorrow, April 13, at 1 p.m.

Game Notes

- Vinny Siena’s home run was his second of the year and his first extra-base hit since March 11.